Have you, at times, longed for a pathway forward—whether a way out of a stuck place or a healing of some kind—but felt unworthy of asking?
When I read the lectionary in preparation for last Sunday’s sermon, a story about a blind man healed by Jesus that I have heard dozens of times—it jumped out at me and moved me. First, I was struck by how this man knows who Jesus is, so that when he hears ‘Jesus of Nazareth’ is coming, he is hopeful, even reverent. He knows that this man has healed many people. Indeed, we know from accounts outside of the Christian scriptures that Jesus was known as a wonder worker (see Josephus, Antiquities of the Jews, Book 18, Chapter 3,3.)
On that day in Jericho, hoards of people would have needed healing; and news of Jesus had spread. Imagine being in extreme suffering and knowing that someone had the ability to change your life and make you well. Then, by some unimaginable grace, that person crosses your path. Imagine the hope that would come over you, but also, the vulnerability and fear. Crowds of people with all manner of needs gather around the healer, and not everyone can get his attention. So you call out to him, knowing it is possible that Jesus will walk right by without hearing you. You call out even as people cruelly tell you to shut up. Somehow you know in your heart that you are as worthy as anyone else.
This element moved me when reading the story: that this man who was forced to beg to survive, was told to shut up and stay in the shadows—not to ask the great teacher for anything. Yet somehow, he seems to understand his worth. Where did he get this sense of worthiness? Perhaps he had deeply loving parents or grandparents. He even calls Jesus “my teacher,” when he does not know Jesus. This shows extraordinary faith!
For some reason we will never quite understand, this particular man gets the attention of the great healer, and Jesus heals him. And interestingly, Jesus tells him “your faith has healed you.”
Again, this is something that struck me. If he had no faith, he would not have called out to Jesus for help as he was scolded by those around him. Yet not only did he have faith in Jesus, he also had faith in himself.
I think that sometimes what gets in the way of our asking for help and experiencing wonder and miracle, is that we don’t have faith in ourselves. We don’t believe we are worthy of having our needs met, so we don’t even ask. We don’t call out to God because we have shame, or cynicism, or anger at God. People in our society or our group tell us to shut up and stay in the shadows, tell us we are unworthy of asking for what we need. These cruel or careless voices can break our faith. And I think it is a great wrong to damage the faith of another person.
I pray that we might not only be like the blind man in our story and have enough confidence to cry out to God; but also, that we might recognize our power to build up faith in others. We can remind people, in a hundred different ways, that they are worthy. Worthy of God’s grace, worthy of wholeness, worthy of healing, worthy of love.
Wren, winner of a 2022 Independent Publishers Award Bronze Medal
Winner of the 2022 Independent Publisher Awards Bronze Medal for Regional Fiction; Finalist for the 2022 National Indie Excellence Awards. (2021) Paperback publication of Wren , a novel. “Insightful novel tackles questions of parenthood, marriage, and friendship with finesse and empathy … with striking descriptions of Oregon topography.” —Kirkus Reviews (2018) Audiobook publication of Wren.
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